Chapter 6 (1/2)

Chapter 6

Yvonne felt helpless when she heard Karloi’s cold words. She didn’t even want to look at him.

Karloi turned his back on Yvonne, and sharply called Gorten.

“Punish all the employees in the Empress’ Palace!”

“But Your Majesty…”

“They are the ones who caused this mess because they can’t properly serve the Empress. Make sure to educate them, so this matter doesn’t happen again.”

Mary Ann followed the emperor, who mercilessly stepped on the glass without looking back.

As she followed him outside the Empress’ Palace and continued to beg for forgiveness, Karloi stopped abruptly.

“Does this happen often?”

“Oh no, Your Majesty! Absolutely not!”

Seeing Mary Ann’s firm denial, it was apparent that this was a frequent occurrence. Karloi’s face distorted, and he made a stride.

“Woman, you shouldn’t be out here. Go tend the Empress’ hands.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t it your job to serve the Empress closely? And now you come all the way out here, knowing that the Empress’ hands are bleeding.”

Mary Ann was startled. She bowed and quickly returned to the palace.

Karloi stood still and took a few deep breaths. Anger would be a waste for the Empress. He hated the fact that his emotions were stirred by the Empress.

“Your Majesty…”

Gorten called in an anxious tone. Karloi began walking again.

“I’m sure you will be able to handle this matter unless you’re a fool.”

Gorten felt that the Emperor’s speech was sharper than the pieces of glass scattered across the floor.

Even the daughter of the Devil Duke would be hurt after getting stabbed by those harsh words without blood flowing.

Even the situation seemed grim. Gorten shook his head to himself.

To the Emperor, who was horribly affected by the Duke, this was not a good idea.

Besides, the Empress is someone who resembles the Duke remarkably.

He often thought that their personality wasn’t all similar except for their arrogance, but seeing how the Empress responded today, he now felt that they are truly alike.

The faithful attendant hurried along with the Emperor.

A quiet silence enveloped the place again after the Emperor left. It was a stillness that resembled a graveyard, instead of a palace.

* * *

Karloi’s words seemed to be effective. After leaving the Empress’ Palace, the work was carried out with great haste. As soon as the Queen’s ceremony’s date was set, everything was finished like beads being threaded into a thread.

Thus, causing Gorten to doubt whether the Empress was deliberately delaying work. He also wondered how she persuaded the Duke, since he was no longer visiting the palace anymore.

“I told you. If the Empress made up her mind, things would be proceeding quickly.”

Karloi looked very uncomfortable saying that, so Gorten decided not to say anything, which was a wise choice.

In fact, after visiting the palace, Karloi was feeling stuffy. He often caught himself remembering Yvonne’s appearance, who seemed to have been out of her mind.

Why the hell is she doing that to herself? What is the point of self-harm? What is her reason for acting like a maniac?

Karloi, who was reading the report from the Empress’s Palace, paused for a moment.

“Gorten. Is the date of the Queen’s ceremony set?”

“I’m looking into it. I’m sure it was already set.”

“…Did the Empress choose it herself?”

“The Empress must have. Why, what day is it?”

The date for the Queen’s ceremony was the same date as the anniversary of the Duchess of Delois’ death. It’s the day the Duke’s wife, the Empress’s mother, died.

Karloi didn’t want to know this useless information. However, there was an incident that made the day unforgettable.

Shortly after Karloi was enthroned, he turned the Delois estate upside down under various pretexts, from tax investigations to investigations on the possession of illegal imports.

The first thing he did with the troops he had taken from the Duke of Delois, was to investigate the Duke’s land and house, unfortunately, nothing was useful. All of them were small charges, and nothing could lead to confiscation of property or deprivation of position.

But that day was the anniversary of the Duchess’s death.

The Duke of Delois did something crazy for a few days, asking how Karloi would give him this ordeal on the anniversary of his wife’s death. He self-consciously believed that Karloi deliberately picked this date.

Due to the Duke of Delois’s unfortunate circumstances, Karloi sent him the blade from a guillotine used at the execution site. Sending a message that he would not stop until he dies. Then the nobles rose up as if they were waiting for the right moment.

Such actions stem from Karloi being a reckless Emperor. They claimed they will not serve the Emperor who is walking the path of defeat, and demanded him to apologize to the faithful Duke and honor the faithful servant.

Karloi would never forget that day. Since the Duke was so peculiar, the same would go for his daughter. However, the date of the Queen’s ceremony is the same date as the Duchess’s death. Are you saying she’s going to have a party on the day her mother died?